ISSUE 19
February 2002

Behlor Santi

 

Behlor Santi is a 21-year-old writer living in New York City. She's published fiction and poetry in such magazines as Darkstormy Magazine, The Sidewalk's End, Wilmington Blues, EWGPresents, The Dead Mule, and Fuzzynet. She is currently working on short fiction and poetry collections.
Miracle     


at Sacred Heart Elementary School,
     I asked my teacher: Sister Mary
Helen, if Jesus turned water to wine, why didn't he turn wine
     to water? Sister Mary Helen was the
English teacher, and encouraged original thoughts. I wrote about
     my mother smoking a reefer near
the scrambled eggs on the kitchen stove, and
     Sister Mary Helen called the story ghetto. I then realized that my skin
looked darker against
     my white blouse, and the whiteness of the room. I
returned to the apartment crying, and smelled more of my family's bitterness. I
     stayed in my uniform. I now wish
that my black words would change into a
     white habit.

 

 

Behlor Santi: Poetry
Copyright � 2002 The Cortland Review Issue 19The Cortland Review